My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 48 Achieving Greatness

Li Shimin strode into the courtyard and looked around.

This small courtyard has long been transformed into Li Xuanba's 'official residence'. The chairs used for the political discussions this morning are still there, and it looks quite authentic.

Li Xuanba followed behind his second brother. Li Yuanji was like a monkey that had escaped from a hunting park, jumping up and down, sometimes touching the swords and longbows on the distant weapons rack, and sometimes touching the newly sprouted grass in the yard. Even though he had these things at home, he showed great curiosity.

"Second brother, please have a seat."

"I'll go find someone to get some food."

Li Shimin suddenly reached out and grabbed Li Xuanba's arm. "No need. I didn't come here to eat. Let's talk business first."

"Please sit down."

He pretended to pull Li Xuanba and pressed him down to the seat of honor. Li Xuanba was stunned for a moment and looked at Li Shimin, "Second brother, you should sit in the seat of honor."

Li Shimin shook his head. “At home, I am the second son and you are the third, so I should be the one in charge. But outside, you are the leader of the local militia! I am just a commoner. If I were to take the position, how would you manage the army?”

As he spoke, he walked a few steps to the side and then sat down.

Li Yuanji, looking quite professional, sat down on the other side.

Li Xuanba was thus elevated to a higher position. Looking at his older brother sitting beside him, he felt extremely awkward, so he stood up again and said with a wry smile, "What leader? It's just protecting the farm. Second brother, please don't be like this."

Li Shimin's expression suddenly turned solemn.

"This is exactly what I'm worried about!"

“You have been intelligent since childhood, and in terms of studying the classics and making scholarship, I am not as good as you.”

"But you're still not very good at things outside."

Li Shimin said seriously, "Since you've taken on this task, you must take it seriously and not be careless. You've been too kind and too affectionate towards others since you were young; you can't be a general like that."

"Being close to people is not a bad thing, but the army should have its own rules. If the commander of the army has no authority, how can he make the whole army obey? If the whole army cannot obey his orders and cannot be of one mind, how can they defeat the enemy?"

Li Xuanba was stunned for a long time before lowering his head and saying, "Second Brother is right."

Seeing the third brother's appearance, the second brother could only sigh. That was just the third brother's personality. He was very smart from a young age and was the first among his brothers to speak. Although he was in poor health and needed treatment for many years, he was very good at studying and had great talent.

It's a pity that his personality is too soft. It's not that he's cowardly, but he's just too kind-hearted and good to others, and he's not good at turning against them. Such a personality is really not suited for leading an army, and he can't be a qualified commander.

Li Shimin's expression softened slightly after he finished reprimanding Li Shimin, and he said with a smile, "However, you did well too. On the way here, I heard people talking about you. They said there was a man named Li Sanlang who led the local militia to defeat bandits and protect the innocent."

"I really didn't expect you to be able to do this much. Not bad, well done."

Hearing his second brother's praise, Li Xuanba laughed, "I thought my second brother had come to interrogate me."

"Heh, you underestimate me. I'm only worried that you won't do well. If you do well, I'll give you archers and horsemen, and I'll even sell my little courtyard to help you. I won't mind at all!"

As Li Shimin spoke, he looked around the courtyard again and nodded repeatedly.

"Well done, not bad."

"Third Brother!"

Li Yuanji suddenly let out a howl, startling the other two. Li Xuanba turned to look at him, and Li Yuanji looked uneasy. "Third brother! Please! Let me stay and be a regimental commander!"

"I will wholeheartedly assist my third brother. I am willing to sacrifice my life for righteousness. I am absolutely not afraid of death."

"enough!"

Li Shimin, with a stern face, scolded, "Your third brother is doing serious business, don't you dare cause trouble!"

Li Yuanji immediately frowned and glared fiercely at the second son.

"You bastard."

Li Shimin then said, "You come with me, and I'll arrange a regimental commander position for you!"

"Second Brother!! Is this really true?"

"Indeed, I never break my word."

Li Yuanji, abandoning his previous fierce demeanor, rose obsequiously, trotted over to Li Shimin's side, and sat down close to him.

Li Shimin ignored him and looked at Li Xuanba, "How is the situation outside? Are the bandits still rampant?" Li Xuanba hurriedly told him about what he had encountered after coming out and his plans for the future. Of course, he still didn't mention the matter of Qingzao Village.

When Li Xuanba mentioned the thieves, Li Shimin's face turned very ugly. He had insisted on gathering his own local militia because he had heard many rumors about the thieves outside the city. He had many friends and knew more than his two younger brothers.

Upon hearing Li Xuanba's plan, Li Shimin nodded and shook his head intermittently, lost in thought.

Li Shimin only spoke after Li Xuanba had finished speaking.

"It's good that you can think of these things, but Guancheng is not just Changwu Township. The result of what you've done is that you've driven the bandits from Changwu to other townships, and they will continue to harm the people."

"This cannot be considered a fundamental solution."

"If you want to continue expanding your army, a hundred men is already the limit. Even your brother won't allow it if you want to expand any further. There are seven or eight villages outside the city. Do you have enough men to patrol all of them?"

"If people from other villages hear about the situation here and ask you for help, will you go or not?"

"If you don't have enough manpower, how will you conduct your patrols?"

"This is me."

Li Xuanba stood there, stunned, unsure how to answer. Li Shimin asked, "Didn't your brother send Wei Ting to accompany you? Didn't he see through all this?"

Li Xuanba explained in a low voice, "I didn't let him come over. I don't like him."

Li Shimin shook his head again, "I don't dislike him, but that doesn't mean I can't use him. Wei Ting was originally going home, but my brother personally requested that he stay temporarily to help you. With such a great help, why not use him? Foolish!"

He pointed to the fourth brother behind him, "Look, I don't like him either, but I still keep him around, don't I? Everyone has their uses!"

Li Yuanji was taken aback. "Huh?"

Li Xuanba lowered his head.

“Brother is right, I will invite him over right away.”

Li Shimin added, "You can listen to him, but don't let him make decisions."

“What you’re doing now is quite good, but there are too many flaws. The most important point is that your militia has overstepped its bounds. In principle, unless the militia is established by officials, other militia are not allowed to cross the boundary. They can only be used to protect their own farms and cannot be transferred out.”

“But you’re already preparing to take over so many villages. If someone with ulterior motives takes note of this, they could have a reason to come after us later.”

Li Xuanba had never really thought about this question. He frowned, and after a moment, he realized what it meant.

"So, Second Brother just asked me to call Wei Ting over?"

"Is the plan to have Wei Ting in charge of contacting officials to gain their approval, so that he can do his work legitimately?"

Li Shimin was quite surprised; this kid was really getting smarter and smarter.

However, he didn't show it, only nodding slowly, "You just realized that? You don't even understand such a simple principle?"

A look of shame crossed Li Xuanba's face. He lowered his head and said earnestly, "Brother, why don't you take charge of these local militia? I'll go talk to my elder brother."

"No need!"

Li Shimin waved his hand.

His expression was quite calm. "Since you've already started this, then keep going. There's no reason to give up halfway. Even if you cause any trouble later, we'll protect you. You don't need to worry. Go ahead and do it."

"I'm no longer going to get involved in the affairs of the local militia."

Li Yuanji, who was about to give his second brother a fawning massage on the shoulders, was taken aback and quickly said, "Second brother, what about my regimental commander?"

"Don't worry, I mean what I say. I'll make arrangements for you as soon as I get home!"

"Don't interrupt when the adults are speaking!"

"Oh."

Li Yuanji was more obedient than ever before.

Li Shimin then looked at Sanlang again and said, “Patrols can be carried out, but government affairs also need to be done. Governance is fundamental. Your soldiers can govern a village, but not a county. Even if they can govern a county, they can’t govern a prefecture. If you want to protect the people and curb thieves, you need to get the government to pay attention and let them do what they are supposed to do.”

"I don't like Wei Ting either. He always speaks arrogantly, as if we are all inferior to him. However, he is capable, has a high reputation, comes from an extraordinary family, and has no vested interests in the local area. He is more suitable than any of us to do this."

(End of this chapter)